Element for detachably coupling electrical contacts with a connector body



April 11, 1961 A. JACKSON ETAL 2,979,689

ELEMENT FOR DETACHABLY COUPLING ELECTRICAL CONTACTS WITH A CONNECTOR BODY Filed Jan. 15, 1959 :L l I j 22 I;

I I /6 I57 1 25 7L2. I 'I 25 i I I I I f INVENTORS fi/vTo/v JqcKso/v Ban/5 A. \TQCKS 0N ATTORNEY United States Patent ELEMENT FOR DETACHABLY COUPLING ELEC- TRICAL CONTACTS WITH A CONNECTOR BODY Anton Jackson, Truesdale Lake Drive, South Salem, N.Y., and Boris A. Jackson, 30 La Farge Lane, Manhasset,

This invention relates to electrical connectors employing a connector body of insulating material, in which a plurality of electric contacts are mounted. More particularly, the invention deals with a coupling element or sleeve mounted in the connector body for detachable mounting of an electric contact therein and, particularly, wherein the electric contact includes lock or key means operatively engaging spring prong members of the coupling element in establishing the detachable coupling with said element. The novel features of the invention will be best undertsood from the following description, when taken togethertwith'the accompanying drawing, in which certain embodiments of the'invention are disclosed and, in which, the separate parts are designated by suitable reference characters in each of the views and, in which:

Fig., 1 is an enlarged section of a portion'of a con- .nector body, showing one of the contact receiving passages therein and illustrating, in section and in eleva-' tion, a coupling element and contact in coupled relationship with each other and with parts of the construction broken away and, further, illustrating in dotted lines the normal position of spring members of the contact.

' Fig. 2 is a .bottom plan View of the coupling element,

with part ofthe construction brokenaway.

-Fig. 3 is and a top plan view of the contact detached;

Fig.4 is a side and sectional view of the upper'portion of-the contact in its normal position and illustrating, l I

in dot-dash lines, its relationship to the'upperend 'por- 'tion of the coupling element.

-Our invention deals with connectors generally of the type and kind disclosed in our prior "Patent Number 2,845,603, datedluly 29, 1958, and deals primarilywith the mounting of the'electric' contacts in a'modified form of connector body, whereby'the contactsare readily at- .tachable' and detachable with respect to the connector body to facilitate initial assemblage of the parts and, further, changing of the position of the contacts in the connector body wheneverdesired.- r

In Fig. Lot thedrawing, we have shown, on a very much enlarged scale, a"small sectional portion of an insulator connector body 10, preferablygformed oft plastics. Ihis'body maybe the body for supporting female electriccontacts; as at 11, ortheconvehtional malecontactsr However, the present disclosure is limited to the showing of the femal contact by way of illustration. In

other words, there appearsto'be'no reason for-duplicating the showing of the male contacts, as this will be tq iteaappa cut to thos il d the; L

gThe, coumCtOLhQdy 1Q hasa plurality or multiplicity of contact receiving bores, one of which-is indicated at 2 r r wall portion 16, the lower enlarged bore forming a shoulder 17.

Instead of mounting the contactdirectly in the bore of the connector body, as is the common practice, what may be termed an adaptor is employed, in the form of a coupling element 18. The element 18 is in the form of an elongated sleeve, having an outwardly extending flange or rim 19 at its upper end, adapted to seat upon the shoulder 14, said end of the sleeve having a small bore 20, adapted to freely receive the companion male contact pin, not shown, the pin being guided into the bore 29by a flared bevelled wall portion 21.

Below the bore- 20,the sleeve 18 has a large diameter bore 22 and the wall of the sleeve has a plurality of circumferentially spaced elongated apertures 23, note Fig. 2 of the drawing," which start at 24 and open through the lower end of the sleeve, These apertures form a corresponding number of spring members 25, which terminate, at theirlower end, in rounded portions 26, as clearly noted in Fig; l of the drawing, the rounded portions forming key recesses or sockets'27 therein adaptannular collar, having a bevelled upper wall 29 and a bevelled lower wall 30. The bevelled walls 29'and 30 facilitate free, but forcible, passage of the contact 11 into and out ofthe sockets 27 in the attachment and detachment-of thecontact 11 with the element 18.

At a predetermined distance, inwardly of .or above the rounded portions 26, each of the spring members 25 have outwardly extended flanges 31 and the outer wall of the sleeve portion' of the element 20, between the flanges 31 and the beginning of the'apertures 23, as at 24, is tapered, as seentat 32 in Fig. l of the drawing, so as to provide the necessary clearance for free lateral springing of the members 25 in establishing the attachfthe medium of the element 18, the soldering or other operation forconplingthe wire with the contact caii be performed at a point ,remote with respect to the conthe element 18 of the connector body.-10..- p

Insofar as the contacthas been thus described, the

.nectqr body; whereupon, the contact can be coupled with structure would be common to a male, aswell as a female contact, and, in illustrating one use of the invention, the contact illustrated at 11 is a female contact which has, at its upperportion, an elongated contact pin re'ceivingbore 3 5,'wh ic h terminates at its upper end-in a flared bevelled wall portion 36. The walls of the contact 11 have at least two circumferentially. spaced .elongated apertures 37, note Fig. 3, which open through the upper end of the contacts, Thesefa'pertures 37 form of the walls of the contact 11' two spring membersor fingers '38, which are normally flexed toward'each other, in the" 'mauner'clearly illustrated in Fig. 4hr the drawing, and

a Q in dotted lines inFig. 1 of the drawing. In otherwords,

12 in Fig. 1 of the drawing, the bore 12 opening through what, for purposes ofdescription, can be termed the upper end in an enlarged bore 13 forming a shoulder 14. The bore 12 opens into another enlarged bore, defined by a bevelled wall portion 15 terminating in a straight in the full, line showing ofIFig. .1 of: the drawing, the con tact is s'hown'in the position'which it would assume with the male contact pin disposed in the bore 35 and the members 38 having a firm grip upon the contact pin.

It will appear, from a consideration of Fig; 4 of the drawing, that, with the'members 38 in their contracted position, the flare 36extends beyond the limits of the aperture 20 of the element 18 so that, as themale contact pin passes through the aperture 20, it then first strikes the flare 36 and then forces or springs the members '38 radially in establishing the positive electrical connection between the male and female contacts.

It will be understood that, in assembling the element 18 with the connector body, the rounded portions 26 of the spring members 25 are moved inwardly in passage of the element 18 downwardly through the bore 12, until such time as the flange 19 strikes the shoulder 14; whereupon, the flanges 31 have cleared the shoulder 17 and the members 25 will then spring outwardly; thus definitely locking the element 18 in position in the connector body. It will be possible, however, to remove the element 18 by insertion of a tool into the bore 16, 15 to compress the members ZSsufliciently to clear the flanges 31from the shoulder 17 whereupon, the element 18 can be drawn upwardly through the bore 12, as will' be apparent. With a structure of the type and kind under consideration, in addition to simplifying the operation of coupling the contacts with the connector body, the structure will facilitate the changing of positioning of the circuit wires in a connector body, without the, necessity of detaching the wires from the contacts; thereby, providing a simple and practical means for quickly correcting what could otherwise be faulty installations in completing the desired circuits through the male and female contacts employed. Having fully described our invention, What we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is z 7 1. In connectors of the character'described, employing a one-piece connector body of insulating material, said body having a contact receiving bore, a contact coupling element mounted in the bore, said element having means including an elongated spring member for retaining the same against displacement from the bore, a contact for insertion into and removal from said element, one end portion of the contact protruding from said element and said connector body, the other-end portion having circumferentially, spaced long, spring fingers for tensional engagement with the contact of 'a companion connector, said contact having outwardly projecting key a means intermediate said end portions, and thespring member of said element having spring socket means receiving and operatively engaging the key means of said contact in retaining the contact against displacement from said element.

2. A connector as defined in claim 1 wherein the first named "means of said element .comprisesrlongitudinally spaced projections engaging longitudinally spaced shoulders in the bore of the connector body, in definitely .positioningthe element in the bore of said body, and one of saidprojections being on said spring member.

t 3 Aconnector as defined in claim 1, wherein the Spring member of said element extendsto one end of 'said element, and. said member having a protruding roundedportion forming said spring socket.

4., A connector as definedv in claim 1, wherein the spring. fingers of said. contact are arranged entirely within the element and are normally flexed inwardly in providing said tensional engagement with a contact'ot' a companion connector. a

5. In connectors of, the, character-@described,employa i g a one-piece connector body, of, insulating material,

said body havinga contact receiving bore, a contact coupling elementrmo unted in the bore, said element having -means includingelongated circumferentiallyspaced spring members for retaining the same against'displacement other end portion having circumferentially' spaced long spring fingers for tensional engagement with the contact of a companion connector, said contact having outwardly projecting key means intermediate said end portions, the spring members of said element having rounded portions forming spring socket means receiving and operatively engaging the keymeans of said contact in retaining the contact against displacement from said element, and the outer walls of the spring members being tapered for clearance in the bore of said body in radial flexing of the spring members in the bore of said connector body.

6. In connectors employing a contact coupling element in a bore of a connector body, said element having circumferentiallyspaced spring members including internal sockets and means engaging the connector body for detachable mounting of the element in said body, a contact for insertion in and removal from said element, said contact comprising a spring finger end and a wire coupling end, the spring finger end comprising circumferentially spaced elongated fingers normally flexed inwardly toward each other, outer end portions of said fingers terminating in outwardly flared bevelled walls, and said contact intermediate the ends thereof having outwardly projecting key means, including bevelled upper and, lower surfaces 'operatively engaging said sockets in the insertion and removal of the contact with respectto said element.

7. An adaptor for mounting electrical contacts in connector bodies, said adaptor comprising an elongated sleeve having an outwardly extending rim atone end, said end sleeve having ,circumferentially spaced elongated apertures opening through said other end, the portions. of the *sleeve between the apertures forming at said other end circumferentially spaced spring membersterminating at their free end portions in circumferentially arranged key portions, the spring members having inwardly of and adjacent the last named end of the sleeve outwardly projecting means, and said means and rim adapted to engage spaced shoulders in a bore of'a connector body in positively retaining the adaptor,against'displacement from said connector body. r y

8. An adaptor as defined in'claim 7, wherein part of the wall portions of said spring members are tapered longitudinally thereof. 7 7 p '9. An adaptor as defined in claim 8, wherein an electric contact for insertion in the adaptor includes key means adapted to engage said circumferentially arranged key portions of said spring members in retaining the con- "tact against displacement from said adaptor. H

References Cited in the file ofthis patent UNITED STATES PATENTS t 784,912 Great Britain Oct. 16, I957 

